Lenovo has been teasing us with tablets for a long time, and has finally come clean with three models targeting consumers and business customers. Two of the tablets represent Lenovo's consumer focused IdeaPad line, and the third is a ThinkPad tablet aimed squarely at business users. Two of the tablets are running Android 3.1, while the third is surprisingly packing Windows 7. The two Android tablets should be available in the U. S. in August and globally in the third quarter. The Windows-based tablet will be available in the fourth quarter of 2011.

IdeaPad Tablet K1

This Honeycomb tablet weighs 1.6 pounds and packs the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core processor driving the 10.1-inch display at 1280x800. It will be certified to work with Netflix out of the box, and ship with over 40 apps from Lenovo partners (yes, Angry Birds) to provide full usability out of the box.

Specs

Nvidia Tegra 2 1 GHz dual core processor

Android 3.1

10.1-inch display (1280x800)

1GB memory

16/32/64GB SSD storage

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (3G option)

MicroSD slot

Front (2MP) and rear (5MP) cameras

1.65 lb.; 10.39 x 0.52 x 7.44 inches

Pricing: starting at $499

ThinkPad Tablet

The business-oriented ThinkPad tablet is also running Android 3.1, and has an optional pen that supports writing on the screen. The MyScript Notes Mobile app allows digital ink handwriting to be converted to text, much like Windows Tablet PCs. Lenovo is making this tablet enterprise-friendly with utilities for IT administrators, and both ActiveSync and Cisco support. The included Documents to Go suite allows viewing and editing of Microsoft Office documents.

Specs

Nvidia Tegra 2 1 GHz dual core processor

Android 3.1

10.1-inch IPS display (1280x800) with Corning Gorilla Glass

1GB memory

16/32/64GB storage

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (3G option)

MicroSD slot

Front (2MP) and rear (5MP) cameras

1.65 lb.; 10.3 x 0.55 x 7.2 inches

Pricing: starting at $499 ($529 with optional pen)

Optional keyboard case (price unknown)

IdeaPad Tablet P1

This consumer tablet comes with Windows 7 so there is also an optional pen to take advantage of the Tablet PC functionality in the OS. The P1 is very similar to the Android version (K1) previously described. There are two SSD options for storage and up to 2 GB of memory will be available. Lenovo is quoting 6 hours of battery life which may be a problem for some users. There is no pricing information for the P1, and it will be available in the fourth quarter of 2011.

James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long. Prior to joining ZDNet, James was the Founding Editor of jkOnTheRun, a CNET Top 100 Tech Blog that was acquired by GigaOM in 2008 and is now part of that prestigious tech network. James' w...
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